Gorman coaching transition seamless

Scott Baker doesn’t generally believe in fixing things that aren’t broken.

So when he took over the Bishop Gorman baseball program this month after seven years as an assistant coach, Baker vowed to continue with business as usual. That formula seems to be working just fine as Gorman heads into the American Legion state tournament at UNLV’s Wilson Stadium.

Top-seeded Gorman (53-10, 23-1 league) will play No. 8 Durango (13-11 league) at 8 p.m. Saturday. No. 4 Sierra Vista (16-8) and No. 5 Coronado (13-11) will play at 5 in the tournament opener. The finals are scheduled for July 31.

Baker inherited the powerhouse program after Chris Sheff left July 9 to become the baseball coach and athletic director at the College of Southern Nevada.

“I’ve been able to step right in, which is good for the kids. I’ve been around the program for a long time,” Baker said.

Baker knows he has some big shoes to fill. Under Sheff, Gorman won five consecutive Legion regular-season titles and four straight state championships.

Baker acknowledged the coaching change caused some initial alarm.

“I think it was a bit of a disappointment for the kids,” said Baker, who was Gorman’s pitching coach. “It was kind of like, 'Wow!' But Sheff was put in a situation where he could move on and further his career. The kids understood that.”

There was a brief adjustment period, though most teams could only wish for such a smooth transition. Playing as the Southern Nevada Titans, Gorman suffered its only loss of the league season — 7-6 to Coronado — on July 14, five days after the coaching switch.

But things are back to normal for the Titans. In fact, Baker compares this summer’s Gorman squad to the one that won the Legion World Series in 2008.

“Of course, every team is different,” he said. “This is not the same team, but the mentality is the same.”

Baker expects pitching to be his team’s strength.

“We’ve got pitching depth,” he said. “That’s obviously the main piece that’s going to get us wins, especially since we’re playing nine-inning games instead of seven. With that, you need as many good arms as you can get, and we’ve got 12 good arms.”

Senior Billy Richardson (8-1, 2.64 ERA) leads the Titans in wins, but he has plenty of support from senior T.J. White (6-2, 2.15), junior Joey Gallo (4-1, 2.13) and Gorman graduate Chris Tulak (6-2, 2.36).

The Titans’ offense is potent. Gallo is hitting .477 with 15 home runs, and Johnny Field is hitting .477 with 11 homers.

But the team will have to get past some formidable competition. Baker said Green Valley and Rancho look particularly strong.

Those two will play their openers Sunday. No. 3 Green Valley (17-7) will meet No. 6 Reno (36-15 overall) at 5 p.m., and No. 2 Rancho (17-7) will play No. 7 Las Vegas (13-11) at 8.